Make up class_Claudia Medrano_Winter 2011

Dante’s Inferno (2010)

1.     Why did you choose such feature? Explain.

I chose this animated feature because I just like the history and religious background. It’s based on a classic divine comedy poem written by Dante Alighieri. It deals with a hero going thru Hell to save his beloved, but to do so he has to deal with the 9 circles of Hell. The irony behind the 9 circles and the different animations to illustrate the animation is just beautifully well done and the character, Dante, going through the obstacles and the different villains is just well played out. Dante’s inferno really makes you think.

2.     Create a possible premise from your chosen animated feature. 

Dante comes back from the crusades and finds his family slaughtered. He finds his wife to be, Beatrice and must rescue her soul from the fallen angel, Lucifer. But to do so Dante must go through the 9 circles of hell to save her. Vergil a soul helps guide Dante thru Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery. These aren’t places one should walk in especially when you don’t belong there in the first place. Each circle has their demons and Dante has to confront them till he reaches the last demon, Lucifer.

3.     How would you describe the feature in high-concept?

Dante must rescue his beloved Beatrice from Hell and goes through the 9 treacherous circles of hell to reach the King of the damned, Lucifer. Along with a guide, Vergil, Dante is driven to free Beatrice from the Hell hole.

4.     Describe the Format.

Dante’s Inferno is 2d animation. Its action/adventure mixed with drama and a bit of horror. The feature shows the horrors of hell and the different levels of sins that one can fall under do to the way they lived when they were alive. It makes one think of how we are living our lives.

5.     What is the target audience?

The target audience would be late teens and adulthood. It’s not for a younger audience. There is violence and gore.

6.     How did the feature approached its intended audience?

The deep morals along with the violence and gore reach the intended audience. The way the story shows the different sins and how the souls suffer in the afterlife really makes the audience sit and wonder.

7.     Describe the needs and wants of the Main Character (be specific).

Dante needs to confront his sins and cleanse himself from them, even though he wishes to set Beatrice free. He has to go through the nine circles of hell to find what he really needs to do and ask for Beatrice’s forgiveness as well.

8.     Excluding the main character. Mention three characters and describe their motivations, goals and unique way of looking at life. 

Vergil: Once was a poet when he was alive. He helps Dante by guiding him through the circles of hell and points out the different sins that the souls have to suffer for all eternity. He only wishes to help Dante with his ordeal since Dante is still alive he still has a chance to redeem himself and save his love, Beatrice.

Beatrice: Dante’s lover and wife to be ends up tricked by Lucifer and is captured and taken to Hell to lure Dante into the hell hole. She wants to know the truth about what Dante did during the crusades and wants to forgive him, but the persuasive Lucifer has other plans.

Lucifer: The king of persuasion wants to entrap Dante’s soul in his kingdom. He will do what he must to try and achieve this and find a way out of Hell and spread chaos beyond the boundaries.

9.     How does this feature approaches characters' backstory? 

The feature show’s Dante’s and Beatrice’s back stories by having flash backs into their pasts. Especially with Dante, every time they enter another level of Hell he is reminded of his past and his sins that he regrets and tries to make peace with them.

10.  Make a list describing briefly three funny gags throughout the story.

I only could find one brief gag. It’s not that hilarious, but it was a flashback of Dante speaking with Beatrice’s brother and how the brother said that he wanted for Dante to take care of Beatrice or else, he jokes. Another possible gag is finding historic leaders and other people we’ve read about in history be in the different levels of hell.

11.  How would you describe the World?

Dante’s world is full of tragedy and love. He fights through the different levels of Hell to try and reach Beatrice and fight with Lucifer. The nine levels are each unique with the different sins that the souls have committed. The different demons he confronts and the souls of the damned. Hell isn’t portrayed as only being a land of fire and ash, there are different environments from hurricane winds to ice cold labyrinth.

12.  If you had the opportunity, what would you change about the story? Explain.

I don’t think I would change the story. I think it’s good as it is. There’s so much detail and the theory behind the nine circles of hell categorized as describing nine major sins is just beyond my imagination. The plot is just enriched with what the hero has to go through and the details behind the horrors of Hell are brilliant. I wouldn’t change anything. It’s a classic.

13.  Do you think this feature can be made into an animated series? Explain.  

No, I don’t think this movie could be turned into a series. I think it would lose its authenticity and not have much more to go into detail. A movie series maybe, because the divine comedy is in three parts: The Inferno, the Purgatorio, and Paradiso because at the end of Dante’s Inferno there is happiness, but evil quickly follows along their footsteps.